I’ve been using Clarins Mission Perfection Serum($72) since September. This is asserted to be a ‘groundbreaking’ serum that is intended to even skin tone (both reddened, dark spots, and dullness) without changing your natural skin tone. If you’ve read this blog, you know that I’m in a vigilant fight against discoloration. Mine comes under control, but sometimes goes off again during the summer no matter how strong my sunscreen is, or how often I apply. I was intrigued by Clarins Mission Perfection because it does not rely on hydroquinone as its active ingredient. As you may know, hydroquinone is a controversial ingredient. Most of the non-hydroquinone products that I’ve tried in the past don’t really seem to cut it. I’m not comfortable getting laser, because of the potential side effects. Claris provided some pretty impressive data when this was first released in Europe, and so I bought this when it was released in the states.

Clarins Mission Perfection is sold in a plastic pump bottle that holds one ounce. My first impressions were very positive. This lightweight cream feels weightless, disappears quickly, and has no annoying scent. I’ve read lots of reviews that says that it works beautifully for reddened skin, but that’s not my issue–rather, I have areas that go to darker shades (whether this is a side-effect of some medication that I no longer take I cannot say but I suspect this is the case). The peachy color of the product does seem to have some visual color-correcting properties, but that isn’t why one would spend $70 on this product. I want skincare, not camouflage.

The first week seemed to deliver impressive results, at least until I exfoliated. Anticipating that my skin would look brighter after a week of Clarins Mission Perfection and using my Dr. Gross Peel Pads, I was surprised to see dark areas return after I removed that top layer. I persisted with my Clarins, under the belief that my discoloration goes lower in my skin that the very top layer. On the upside, I knew that I could continue to use Mission Perfection without fear that it is harming my skin because it is not hydroquinone-based.

I’m very glad that I did. After persisting for the past two months, my skin is about 98% both before and after exfoliation. Particularly over the past month, I’ve used sheerer and sheerer foundations. It’s pretty astounding. It’s certainly wonderful to see how young my skin looks when the tone is even. Really, I feel like I’m free of a problem that I’ve had a very long time. I’m going to use my Sephora money to get a refill of this. It’s that good for this very narrow purpose. I have to admit that I do get self-conscious about uneven skin, and finding a gentle, effective solution has been huge.